Free personal care in Scotland: a narrative review
British Journal of Social Work 37 3 459-474
Available online: 28 March 2007
Abstract
The advent of free personal care for older people was a defining moment in the development of UK political devolution. After all the controversy surrounding the 1999 Royal Commission on Long Term Care, Scotland’s decision to implement the main recommendations of the Sutherland Committee was a decisive break from Whitehall’s approach and seemed to offer a key opportunity to learn from the implications of this policy for an English context. Against this background, this paper summarizes the origins, nature and impact of free personal care, providing a narrative review of the policy to date.
The advent of free personal care for older people was a defining moment in the development of UK political devolution. After all the controversy surrounding the 1999 Royal Commission on Long Term Care, Scotland’s decision to implement the main recommendations of the Sutherland Committee was a decisive break from Whitehall’s approach and seemed to offer a key opportunity to learn from the implications of this policy for an English context. Against this background, this paper summarizes the origins, nature and impact of free personal care, providing a narrative review of the policy to date.